Friday, February 11, 2011

Friday Media Mayhem

Lots of diverse media news and information has been coming this way over the past couple of days. I'm just going to empty the old email and let you pick and choose:

For Sprint users: The company announced that the Sprint Cup Mobile application has added some new elements. Read these words from Sprint carefully.

The new design (shown above) features updated driver banners and buttons that provide customers instant access to information personalized to follow their favorite driver. The updated layout also offers improved graphics throughout and Twitter updates from drivers, crew members and other NASCAR insiders.

Beginning on Friday, Feb. 11, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile will carry live broadcasts of Bud Shootout practice, as well as NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane on Saturday, Feb. 12. The following week, fans can see both Gatorade Duel races, all practice sessions for the Daytona 500, along with NASCAR Live, NASCAR RaceDay, NASCAR Victory Lane and Trackside via the application.

That's right, select NASCAR shows on SPEED can be seen on your Sprint phone. We will see how this service performs over the weekend and review it next week. Happy to get your input on this topic at editor@thedalyplanet.tv if you try it as well.

10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's passing: SPEED will offer a special on Friday at 7:30PM called The Day. Previews show amazing interviews with Michael Waltrip, Kenny Schrader and former DEI executive Ty Norris. ESPN offers an exclusive interview from Marty Smith with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the Sunday Conversation on SportsCenter. Originally airing at 10AM, the segment can also be seen on the 6 and 10:30PM shows.

NASCAR on FOX checking in: The network confirmed the same on-air line-up that viewers have come to know for Saturday night's 8PM Bud Shootout and Sunday's 1PM Daytona 500 qualifying.

Celebrity update: Hollywood actress Amber Heard will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 33rd annual Budweiser Shootout. Heard will next be seen in the action thriller “Drive Angry 3D” starring opposite Nicolas Cage, which is set for release on Feb. 25. Meanwhile, country music singer/songwriter Laura Bell Bundy will perform a pre and post-race concert in addition to singing the national anthem.

Big new TV show: The Speed Report has ended and on Sundays at 7PM starting this weekend, SPEED Center rolls out with host Adam Alexander. This is the start of a new concept for the network that will be expanding rapidly. Alexander will begin to appear on Saturdays and Sundays to offer highlights, news and information from all forms of motorsports. We should get a feel for the show this weekend. It's a solid move by SPEED to serve more fans.

NASCAR.com's big fantasy push: The folks over at NASCAR.com are rolling out the newest fantasy game featuring a twist. Since NASCAR.com gets all the live scoring information sent directly for its other services, the company has now created a new fantasy league featuring live lap-by-lap fantasy updates. Click here for the link.

Gossip Girl: After the new Miss Sprint Cup line-up was announced, some folks were asking about newcomer Kimberly Coon. Yes, she was on the hit TV show The Bachelor. Click here for an interview from WSOC-TV about her reality TV experience. Thanks to the eagle-eyed TDP readers.

Other side of the pond: Confirmed this week was the fact that Premier Sports TV will be carrying all the Sprint Cup Series races in the UK while Setana Sports will be handling the distribution for Ireland. Both countries have hardcore fans and loyal TDP readers.

Online motorsports programming: The SPEED2.com website is a portal for online motorsports viewing. Click here to see the homepage. Currently, Time Warner Cable and Brighthouse Networks are the two primary carriers. I am told this service is in the process of expanding and may be available to over 15 million cable TV homes by mid-year. More great news for additional racing content.

Please consider Twitter: There is no way to describe just how much fun NASCAR is on Twitter. This free social media service lets fans interact direcly with drivers, teams, officials, media members and each other as nothing before. Pictures, videos and news links are constantly flowing. One try at Twitter and you will be hooked. Check out Twitter.com and then search The Daly Planet or John Daly to see who I follow and just how much NASCAR has become Twitter nation.

Well, those are the updates before the first weekend of NASCAR racing action gets underway. Please feel free to offer a comment on any of those topics by clicking the comments button below. Email me anytime at editor@thedalyplanet.tv with suggestions.

36 comments:

AncientRacer
said...

Since I was last in on the previous post and nobody likes to be last (NOBODY, except maybe Nemechek, and he has other, and worthy, goals -- loved hearing him today on the stream) I'll repost my comment since I think it apropos to today's topic:

JDYou are right about Twitter. I have learned it. I follow you for racing and two (non-racing) people you follow (among others I follow and you do not). For racing I use you (yes, I use you) as a gatekeeper and it mostly works tho I sometimes think you retweet too many bits, but pleeze don't stop and don't increase. You've got it pretty near good now. Needs to dial it in a touch, but with constantly changing conditions I do not know where yet:)

I really enjoy twitter, I thought Ross Kenseth's updates a couple of years ago on Matt's pitstops were more thorough than even the pit reporters. I also miss Nicole Manske Briscoe's tweets too. Trophyguy, I also have my fingers crossed for a great broadcast season. See you all on twitter!

Thanks for the updates. Hmmm, although I swore that I wouldn't change to sprint if they were the last cellular provider on earth, if this goes well (and I'll wait for the planeteers to confirm), the new online options MAY just make me reconsider that. Of course, their coverage in my area isn't that great, so no matter how good the NASCAR stuff may be, I still need a phone that works as the priority.

Thanks for the updates about the programming changes on Speed. Good things to watch this weekend. My reaction to the Fox broadcast team is - gee, I'm sorry to hear that. If Chris Myers continues to have to act the fool and the first time that DW & Larry Mac cheerlead or shill for their personal services contracts, I will mute the TV.

Love Twitter -- I follow you, JD, of course and now that my favorite driver is posting on twitter, I have even more reason to play along. It's fun!

I occasionally read Twitters, but I am certainly not 'hooked'. Not everyone has the need for instant gratification, apparently . It's nice to hear some amusing, timely updates, but it's nothing I can't live without or wait for (since I don't need/can't afford a smartphone, I look at some online.) Those of you with your 'crackberries' can Twitter away (but watch out for those mall fountains...) They also have a negative side--as in tweets based on rumor that turn out not to be true-you can't 'untweet' and on they go, diseminating falsehoods, such as the AZ shooting details. I could also see some serious consequences for those who can't properly censor themselves.

The main reason I came in here today was to just say how much I am looking forward to seeing some racing despite the many things I see going wrong with our sport especially on the media front. It's going to be good to see some action again.

After seeing the comments above about NASCAR.com, I went over there...something I rarely do because the website is so bad both in its design and content. As somebody that does a little web design for both business and personal websites...well, all I can say is that I would be ashamed to put up something that disorganized. It just goes to show that NASCAR still doesn't get it, at least when it comes to its flagship "new media" portal. What I see there reminds me of several entries on a hilarious Web comic I read called The Oatmeal. I will leave searching it out to each individual because it does often contain graphic language and occasionally graphic images. I will only add that The Oatmeal would have a field day poking fun at how poorly NASCAR.com is designed.

On Twitter...I enjoy it but in small doses. For those new to the service, I personally recommend being very choosy who you follow as to not suffer from information overload unless you have plenty of spare time. I think JD is very good with what he puts out both on his own and what he "retweets." As for others, I like to see either good info or people with a sense of humor. I just started following Alan Bestwick and really like what he puts up even if it is not related to NASCAR.

I don't go to that site without a link or Google. I can put in what I want in Google & it'll take me where I want to go. I took a peeksie...oh dear! I know nothing about website design & I could have done a better job! How embarrassing :(. Well all my hopes of them catching up to 2012 may have been dashed. I signed up for their Fantasy race thingie so I'll see how I like that.

@anon 2:22. nope, 5 minutes obviously doesn't change anything that followed. i guess my point (albeit not clearly made, i see) is that twitter has value beyond just "keeping in touch" with perfect strangers.

for myself, i often hit twitter when a story is breaking, searching for folks at the event, on the ground, reading blogs, watching videos. it expands my understanding of what's happening in darn near close to real time, without the filters that often accompany such events.

for nascar? i use twitter on race days because i frequently get information there that doesn't make it to the broadcast, information that tells me who took 2/4 tires, who waved around/didn't, who's saying what over the team radio etc. sometimes, that info impacts how i perceive race strategy unfolding.

basically, i use it as another source of information, to be filtered and added to what i'm doing or experiencing.

hope that clarifies a bit! i need to not always try to communicate in 140-chaaracter burst!

I love Twitter, everything I do with it is Nascar related. I get things to laugh at, breaking news and it even facilitated meeting drivers, spotters and media members.

I too jumped over to Nascar.com, wasn't sure if there were cars on the track during the day. WTF it's even worse then before. I'll never be able to find the Pit Command link or the post race show. Good Lord what were they thinking

I am going to give in and get a Twitter account this weekend when I have a few spare minutes. I am basically going to use it to follow the races. Nascar.com is a piece of work. I am just shaking my head now. Although it has a new paint job its the same old messy car.

In addition to updating the look of the Nascar.com web site they also updated the Terms of Use. Check out the link down at the bottom of the page.

I tell ya I use Firefox and it does not like the new Nascar.com web site. Takes forever to load. And I have Add Block turned on and that makes it look really bad. Lots of big white spots on the page where ads have been filtered out.

I disagree Sophia the new graphics on SPEED area amazing, and will be the same ones used on FOX. The ticket is much easier to read and faster so we can get information. The last one was FAR to slow. This one I feel actually takes up less real estate.

Just checked out the late night rebroadcast of practice. I like the new graphics. I just have one problem-the ticker is right up against the top of the screen. Could SPEED (and FOX if they use it too) lower the scoring ticker about 1 millimeter or two? I could barely read "Bud Shootout Practice" at the top. Outside of that, I really like it. I especially like the color codes.

The new NASCAR.com is another disappointment. Jayski has always been my favorite NASCAR news source, and it looks like that will be continuing.

Had fun today, a little p'd that we didnt see more drafting but ah well well make tomorrow all that more special! I loved the new graphics on speed looks awsome! I hear there will be some other changes for FOX w the NFL theme?? Im not a fan of that but oh well

Loved watching SPEED today. The new graphics look great. The only problem I saw was that the ticker only showed times/speeds every now and then, need to show that information more often, especially in practice.

"The Day" was one of the best nascar shows ive ever watched. It was incredibly well done and done in a tasteful way. Kudos to NMG.

Speed Coverage - After watching both shootout practices I don't think I saw one wide angle shot of the cars going around the speedway. Everything was that zoom in style shot and swing the camera around the turns as the cars go by. Sort of disappointing to say the least. The elbow cam does not impress me too much either. Sorry.Enjoyed Dave Despain and Ken Squire quite a lot. I would give anything to hear Ken Squire call the Daytona 500 again!

I was riveted to the TV watching The Day - what a program! It filled in some pieces for me. I can remember Fox going off the air rather quickly without news on Dale's condition. I spent several hours with ESPN News on trying to find out.

The comments from the DEI and PR reps - still heartbreaking to hear even after 10 years. Even the Waltrips comments seemed appropriate. Ken Schrader - wow! Richard Childress.

Shows like this show what is possible for Nascar programming.Even without comments from the family (which I understand), it told the story.

Bud Shootout Selection Show - changes made were good. Most of the time I could "handle" Kenny Wallace's comments. Jeff Burton seemed a little testy with Steve Byrnes bringing up his children's comments. Must be more to that story.

Looking forward to tonight's shootout with Jr. leading the pack. Although I haven't always been a Jr. fan, I'll be pulling for him to win the pole tommorow.

After watching The Day, it has revitalized my excitement for the new season.

The only thing i will add about twitter is to limit how many people you follow. Most everyone does a great job but if you have a ton of people you get overlapping coverage and it takes a while to run through all the updates if you are just trying to quickly catch up. But twitter is great for up to the minute coverage. And if you have a serious question most of the reporters and JD will answer them for you or atleast try.

Interesting comments on the new ticker. On the HD in LR room a good inch down from top of our tv and being triangular sorta, wastes space. I tried the normal SD station on the older 4:3 ch here & Speed is Letterbox formatted & still one inch down from top of tv, thus if it went to top of tv, we'd see more of the wall when racing.

Our smaller SD tvs in house do not get SPEED as it's on digital tier.

Also we've noticed compared to other stations the colors are very VIVID & saturated which some people like...but being a wannabe photographer, i like colors to look more real.

Yes the volume issues CONTINUE during the commercials.

As I typ this they are showing grassy infield in BRILLIANT green colored stripes.

Am DVRing ARCA race...hope Milka doesn't wreck . .

Didn't even attempt to watch the Budweiser shootout draw. That could be a 30 minute show easily.

It's less than seven hours before the Shootout and Google news has no mentions. This despite the fact that I subscribe to two racing feeds.

No stories about NASCAR or the Daytona 500 on the main page. There are NFL related stories on Google News main page over 300 days a year. There aren't even race results there at the height of the season. I get more Indycar updates than I do for NASCAR.